Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Quinoa à la Waldorf Salad

Quinoa, ( pronounced keen-wa) a grain that comes from South America is considered the "Supergrain of the Future" as it contains more protein than any other grains, and is a balanced source of other nutrients. It is also gluten free and easy to digest. It is great in salads and has a delicious nutty flavour . With quinoa as my canvas, I concocted quite a tasty summer salad, which after some thought, reminded of the original Waldorf salad.

In a pot pour in 2 cups of cold water and add 1 cup of quinoa. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. While the quinoa is cooking, macerate the red onion in the cider vinegar and sugar. Transfer the the onions and vinegar to a large bowl, and whisk in the honey, mustard, lime juice,salt, and oil. Add the chopped celery and apple. Toss in the cooked quinoa and the pecans.

Ava, it was the first time I actually cooked quinoa at home and will definitely continue experimenting with it. I was pleasantly surprised by the its nutty flavour and how well it went with the apples, cucumbers,and nuts. Hope you give it a try and let me know if you liked it.